Friday, January 23, 2009

Hello!! I am going to be leaving in just a little while for the airport and heading out to the CHA show in Anaheim, CA. I don't know if I will be able to get online while I am out there so I might not be posting until next week. But I promise I will take a ton of pictures & have lots to share with you when I come back!

I want to say a Special THANK YOU to Nancy and Stampin' Heather, both of these wonderful ladies recently nominated me for a couple of blog awards--Encouraged Award & One Lovely Blog Award. Thank you so very much!!! I will post more about this when I get back home.

If you are going to be at CHA please stop by the Spellbinders booth and say hello!! I would love to meet you!! Booth # 4873

Take care & I look forward to sharing all kinds of wonderful things with you when I get back home!!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The 5th Anniversary party for Spellbinders Paper Arts is nearing its end. Spellbinders’ staff is hurrying-- scurrying to get all the little details finished for the big “party” in Anaheim at the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show. You still have until 11:59 CST, January 21, to enter Trudee Sauer’s blog contest. Then Spellbinders will be drawing for the Grand Prize Winner, and will announce the Grand Prize winner on the Spellbinders Blog on January 31.

Today, Stacey Caron, Creative Director and Co-founder of Spellbinders Paper Arts shares a special message for you, so check it out here on the Spellbinders Blog.

I also want to say a HUGE Thank You to all of you who stopped by my blog during the sneak peek and for all of the Wonderful comments you left and personal emails. Thank you so much!!!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Here is another Valentine's card I made today using some of the NEW products from JustRite Stampers that will be introduced at CHA.Do you notice anything from the picture? How about a lowercase font? Yep, that's right now the New Times Roman font set that we all love is also going to be available in lowercase letters! Also being introduced at CHA will be two New Vertical Stampers. I am so excited about both of these new items, they will allow for so many more possibilities and creating with a personal touch!

Thanks so much for stopping by and don't forget to check out the JustRite Blog for some really fun Sneak Peeks!! Also if you are going to be at CHA please stop by the JustRite Booth #4645 and say hello! While you are there join in the fun with the fantastic make-n-takes!!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Valentine's Day will be here before we know it so I thought I better get going on making some Valentine's cards. Here is my first Valentine's card for this year.I love the soft colors, texture and shimmer of this card. The card base is DoubleMates Fairy Tale Pink cardstock from WolrdWin and I cut a mat for the front of designer paper In Bloom from Chatter Box. I love the look of the flocked swirls! Then I took a strip of whites cardstock and using a Martha Stewart punch I made a scalloped edge. I taped the scalloped strip of cardstock to the back of the pink flocked designer paper and added some ribbon. Then I mounted this piece to the front of the card. Next I made the frame diecut using the Wizard and Classic FrameS5-012 die template from Spellbinders and Petallics Silver Ore cardstock from WolrdWin and added it to the card front. I also used a glitter pen to go over the embossed areas of the frame. Then I picked out two different stamp sets from JustRite Stampers for the sentiment and flourishes on the front, Harmony Classic Circles Stamper III Stamp Ensemble (3-1/4'') and Harmony Classic Circle Stamper II Stamp Ensemble (2-5/16''). I used the Harmony Classic Circle Stamper II Stamp Ensemble and stamped and embossed twice on two colors of cardstock, Light and Medium Fairy Tale Pink from WorldWin. Those two pieces will end up being the center and the inside border. Then I stamped and embossed the Harmony Classic Circle Stamper III Stamp Ensemble on to the Light fairy Tale Pink cardstock from WorldWin and this piece will be the outside border. After I had all of the stamping and embossing done then I diecut all of the pieces using the Wizard and Nestabilities, Classic Circle S4-114 and Scalloped Circle S4-124 die templates.

Here is a close up of the Circle and Scalloped Circles layered on the card front. I added a heart shaped button to the center right next to the sentiment, With Love and colored the flower on the button with Copic markers. The last step I did was to add the tiny little pearls around the frame and scalloped circle.

I stamped the cookie cutter images and then colored them with Copic markers and cut all of them out. The stamp for the cookie cutters is one larger stamp that could be used for a border or if you would like there is enough space in between the images that you could cut them apart if you would like. Then you would have six separate cookie cutter stamps. You could use them individually or you could line them up and still use them as a border.

Here is a close up of the cookie cutter images.I also really like the open frame stamp that is around the sentiment. Several of the words/sentiments from the stamp set will fit into the open frame. After I stamped the frame and sentiment then I cut it out and inked the edges. Using some jewelry findings and wire I made a tiny little whisk and attached it with some red ribbon.Supplies~Stamps~Crafty Secrets-Sweet StuffPaper~Crafty Secrets-Earthy Paper Designs, WorldWin-Coffee BrownInk~Ranger-Vintage Photo, Memento-Tuxedo BlackOther~Crafty Secrets-Homemade Images & Journal Notes, Copic Markers, Lace Trim, Ribbon, Brown Brads, PopDots, Tiny Wire Whisk

I'm glad you stopped by today & I hope you enjoyed another sneak peek from Crafty Secrets, Sweet Stuff stamp set. Be sure to stop on over to the Crafty Secrets Blog, Sandy is having a Challenge and Blog Candy and you can see the NEW Stamp Sets!!

Hello! This is just a quick post to remind all of you about the Spellbinders 5th Year Blog Party!

Today is Sneak Peek # 10! Be sure to check out Wendy Weixler's blog!! She has some amazing and very fun designs to share with all of you!! Also you still have until 1/14 until 11:59 CST to visit and enter Jeni Calkins' release at Mixed Media Madness. Jenni has some beautiful projects to share with you too!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

I am so excited to be able to share another sneak peek from Crafty Secretswith all of you today!! The NEWEST stamp set from Crafty Secrets is called Sweet Stuff. The stamp set is a large set and includes 32 stamps and it is sooooo adorable!! We are all betting it is going to become a favorite!

For my project today I created a LO using several of the stamps from the NEW Sweet Stuff stamp set. This stamp set is so much fun and has so many possibilities!! After I picked out the pictures I wanted to use then I decided on a few of the stamps from the Sweet Stuff set and some designer paper from the Radiant Paper Pad from Crafty Secrets. I took two sheets of designer paper and using adhesive I put them side by side on another piece of paper to make a 12'' x 12'' sheet of paper. Since the designer paper in the background is a darker color I thought it would be better to stamp the images on white CS. Then I used the Wizard and Labels One S4-161 die templates from Spellbinders to make the diecuts. I also used the Labels One S4-161 die template to diecut some of the pictures. After I had all of the diecuts done then I colored in all of the little images with Copic markers. Once I had all of the coloring done then I popped the diecuts back into the die templates and sponged around the edge on the inside part of the die template. Doing this leaves a white trim all the way around the diecut where the embossing is.

Here are a couple of close-up pictures. As you can see from the pictures above and below the stamped images are so wonderful and would be great for doing LO's, cards, tags to go on little boxes of goodies or a book of favorite family recipes. Before putting anything on the designer paper I inked the edges using Vintage Photo Distress ink from Ranger. I also stamped some of the images with Memento, Tuxedo Black ink on the designer paper just to add a little more interest to the background. The embellishments for the LO were very simple, just a few stickers from the What's Cooking sticker sheet and a little ribbon. The Title and the Journaling was done on the computer and printed out.SuppliesStamps~Crafty Secrets-Sweet StuffPaper~Crafty Secrets-Radiant Paper Pad, WorldWin-Coffee Brown, Solar White CSInk~Ranger-Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Memento-Tuxedo Black InkOther~Crafty Secrets-What's Cooking Sticker Sheet, Spellbinders-Wizard, Labels One S4-161 die template, Copic Markers, Popdots, RibbonMy little guy and I made this yummy Devil's Food cake with Chocolate Ganache for DH's Birthday and I thought the Sweet Stuff stamps went with it so perfectly I just had to do a LO!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you are staying warm--it's cold in MN today!! It's was -37 with the wild chill when I woke up this morning!! Brrrrr.....

Don't forget to check out the Crafty Secrets Blog so you can see the NEW Sweet Stuff stamp set that is coming soon and also find out all of the details about a Fabulous Contest going on over at SCS with Crafty Secrets Products.! You can also click HERE to checkout the contest at SCS! Have a Great Day!!

Monday, January 12, 2009

I am so excited to be able to share some art made with one of the NEW Crafty Secrets stamp sets that is going to be released at CHA!! The stamp set is called Bouquets of Joy and it is one of the small stamp sets. This set comes with one image of of a little girl holding a huge bouquet of flowers and three sentiments. The image of the little girl is so adorable and the flowers in the bouquet are so pretty!

Here is a tiny little wall hanging that I made using the image of the little girl from the Bouquets of Joystamp set. Here is another close-up picture.To make the wall hanging first I started out using the Wizard and Labels One Nestibilities S4-161 die template from Spellbinders with Solar White CS and made a diecut. Then I stamped the image of the little girl from the Bouquets of Joy stamp set using Memento, Tuxedo Black inkin the center of the diecut and then I colored in the image using several Copic markers.Here's a picture of all the Copic markers I used to color in the image.After the image was colored then I put the diecut back into the Labels One S4-161 die template. I stamped the little girl image onto some typing paper and cut it out to make a mask for the image. Then I placed the mask over the colored image. Using my Copic airbrush system and sketch marker Frost Blue (B00) I airbrushed around the edges of the die template.Here is a picture after the airbrushing is done.Next I used the Wizardand the NEWFrameabilities Classic Frame S5-012die template from Spellbinders to make the beautiful frame to go around the image. This is the same die template that was my sneak peek for theSpellbinders Pre-CHA Blog Sneak Peek. If you missed the sneak peek you can check it out by clicking HERE!

Here is a close-up of the frame with the image in place.To make the frame I used Light Terrific Teal CS from WorldWin. Once the diecut was made and embossed then I took a sponge with Tempting Turquoise in from SU and stenciled in the open areas of the Classic Frame S5-012 die template. I also made diecuts with lightweight chipboard to put behind the frame and label diecuts to make them more sturdy. I glued the two finished pieces together and then I traced around the frame with a glitter pen, added a crystal, a flower, some ribbon and a few rhinestones to finish off the wall hanging.SuppliesStamps~Crafty Secrets-Bouquets of JoyPaper~Solar White CS, WorldWin CS-Light Terrific TealInk~Memento-Tuxedo Black, SU-Tempting TurquoiseOther~Spellbinders-Wizard, Classic Frame S5-012 & Labels One S4-161 die templates, CopicMarkers (picture above), Prima Flower, Heidi Swapp-Chandelier Crystals, Rhinestones, Ribbon, Beacon-Gem-Tac Adhesive, Sakura-Clear Star Glitter Pen

To see images of some of the NEW Crafty Secrets stamp sets that will be available very soon and also some Wonderful samples from some of the Crafty Secrets DT click HERE to go the the Crafty Secrets Blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek and stop back soon as I will have more sneak peeks to share with you!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Today I have a set of six note cards to share with you. It's always nice to have extra cards, you never know when you might want to send someone a little note. The stamp set that I used is Harmony Classic Circle Stamper III Stamp Ensemble 3-1/4'' from JustRite Stampers. I think this is one of my favorite JustRite stamp sets! I love the butterfly and the sentiments are very pretty.Before I tell you about the cards I would like to show you a couple of pictures of some of the stamps in the set. Here is a picture of the three stamps I used. As you can see in the picture I have trimmed away the extra rubber around the butterfly image. It is perfectly fine to do this! When you remove the extra rubber then you are less likely to end up with unwanted ink marks.In this next picture you can see where I trimmed off all of the extra rubber from the other two stamps. Removing the extra rubber also makes your stamps more versatile, like on the stamp that says, Just Because, you now have three stamps instead of one. If you would like to find out more about trimming and conditioning your JustRite stamps Sharon Johnson has a wonderful tutorial on SCS, click HERE to learn more about it.To make the base for each card I took a piece of the Light Outdoorsy Olive cardstock from WorldWin and using the Wizard from Spellbinders and a CB Folder, Leafy Branch I embossed three pieces of 5-1/4'' x 4'' cardstock. Then I took a brayer and inked it up really good with Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger and brayered over each piece. Here is a before and after picture with the ink. As you can see in the picture adding the ink really makes the embossing pop. After inking the paper I traced around all of the embossing with a glitter pen.Then I cut each piece in half and added a piece of DP from Cosmo Cricket. By doing this I was able to make enough mats for six cards. I stamped each border and center of the JustRite stamps twice with Chestnut Roan ink on different colors of WorldWin CS and then using the Wizard and the Nestabilities Classic Circle Lg S4-114 and Petite Scallop Circles Lg S4-115 die templates from Spellbinders I made the diecuts. I also inked some of the diecuts using Vintage Photo ink. Once I had all of the diecuts made then I mixed, matched and layered them. I added a little shimmer to each piece using a glitter pen and I also added ribbon, gold brads and some rhinestones.Here's some close up pictures of the cards.SuppliesStamps-JustRite Stampers-Harmony Classic Circle Stamper III Stamp Ensemble 3-1/4'', Wooden Stamper 3-1/4''Paper-WorldWin Cardstock-Light, Dark & Deep Coffee Brown, Light, Medium, Dark & Deep Outdoorsy Olive---Cryogen White---Cosmo Cricket-Fleuriste Flora BellaInk-Ranger-Distress Ink Vintage Photo---ColorBox-Chestnut RoanOther-Spellbinders-Classic Circles Lg S4-114, Petite Scallop Circles Lg S4-115, Wizard---Brayer---CB Folder---Joann's-Ribbon-Brown, Celery, Ivory Lace, Gold Brads, Rhinestones---Beacon-Gem Tac Adhesive---Sakura-Gelly Roll Clear Star Glitter Pen

Don't forget to check out the wonderful Gallery on theJustRite Stampers website and the JustRite Blog for all of your paper crafting inspiration! Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you are having a Wonderful Weekend!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

EDIT: "Thanks to everyone who entered the Spellbinders' 5th Anniversary Party to win my Die Template release. You can no longer enter to win my release. Please check out the links below to enter the contest on other blogs. Check Spellbinders Blog for the announcement of Daily Winners. Grand prize winner will be announced on January 30th."I just wanted to remind you that you only have a few hours left to enter the contest on my blog for the Framabilities Classic Frame S5-012 die template. You entry must be before 12:00 midnight Central Standard Time on January 10, 2009.

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to ContestQuestions@spellbinders.us

Also if you haven't already been to Becca Feeken's blog http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/ be sure to check it out! Becca has some Beautiful projects to share with all of you!!Thank you so much for stopping by & Good Luck with the contest!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

EDIT: "Thanks to everyone who entered the Spellbinders' 5th Anniversary Party to win my Die Template release. You can no longer enter to win my release. Please check out the links below to enter the contest on other blogs. Check Spellbinders Blog for the announcement of Daily Winners. Grand prize winner will be announced on January 30th."

I am so excited to be able to share my sneak peek with all of you today!Spellbinders is celebrating their 5 Year Anniversary with sneak peeks for 16 days!The Spellbinders Designerswill be sharing 16 days of sneak peeks of brand new die templates to be released at winter CHA 2009.You are going to absolutely love the new die templates! "What does every good party need?If you guessed prize drawings, then you are right!There will be a drawing for the die template that I am sharing with you today plus the die templates that have already been revealed.See the contest rules at the end of this post for all the details. Each day an additional die template is added to the daily give-away list for a grand total of 16 die templates on the 16th day of reveals!

Commenting on this post is welcome but does not enter you into the contest. This contest is sponsored directly by Spellbinders Paper Arts. Please read the post to find directions for entering the contest. If you have any questions, please e-mail ContestQuestions@spellbinders.us.

Before I share my sneak peek today, I want to give you the remaining designers and the dates that they'll be posting their sneak peeks. You'll need to visit each designer, each day if you want to enter the contest.You have until 11:59 pm CST January 9th to sign up for the give-away on Sherry Cheever’s

Last summer during Spellbinders sneak peek blog frenzy the die template that I shared with you was the first in a new line called Frameabilities and today I am happy to be sharing another beautifully detailed Frameabilitesdie template set.

DIE NAME:Classic FrameDIE SKU # S5-012MSRP $24.99

I love all of the details in Classic Frame from the tiny flourishes to the little curls on the edges.The large frame has a vintage look and is very complimenting to the vintage style.One of the things I like the most about this set of die templates is all of the die cuts you can make.Here is a picture so you can see all of the die cuts.Don’t forget, you will have a die cut from the inside part of the die template.Here is another picture of the die templates. I put a quarter next to the two smaller pieces so you can have a good visual as to the actual size.Here are the approximate measurements for the die templates.

Classic Framedie templateS5-012

Large Frame: 5-1/2" x 4"

Rectangle from inside the Large Frame: 3-9/16" x 2-7/8"

Smaller Frame: 3-1/8" x 2-3/8"

Rectangle from inside the Smaller Frame: 2-1/8" x 1-5/8"

Larger Flower: 1-1/2"

Smaller Flower: 5/8"

When I receive a die template, I make several die cuts using white cardstock.I just play around with them to see what kind of ideas jump out at me and I sketch out different ideas.I find having a sketch book close-by at all times can be a very handy tool.I have several of them and I even have a little one for my purse and by the bed.You never know what you might dream about!

Okay, on to my projects for today.I made four different projects using the Classic Frame die template.The first project is something a little “out of the box”.I like to challenge myself by trying to think of different ways to use the die cuts.So, I made a luminary.

I am going to share how to make the luminary step-by-step.I also want to share a couple of pictures about getting started with the Wizard.These pictures will show you the proper placement of the Wizard and your hands holding the mats.

Step 1

Step 2 Step 3Use two complimenting colors of cardstock, a dark and a light.With the dark color, cut/emboss four of the large frames.For the light color, cut but don’t emboss four large frames.After you have all of the large frames cut, take the darker colored ones and one at a time, place them back into the die template.One of the very unique things about Spellbinders die templates is that they are cut all the way through giving you a beautiful die template that can be used as a stencil.Using black ink and a sponge, stencil the four frames.Once all of your pieces are cut and stenciled, cut four pieces of vellum as shown in the picture below.The next step will be putting all of these pieces together to make four panels as shown below.I find that the best way to put adhesive on the large frames is to run them through the Xyron with a permanent adhesive.When working with really detailed die cuts, I like to take a stylus around the edges of the die cut before I peel off the clear coving.This really helps to make sure you don’t have extra adhesive around the edges.If you don’t have a stylus, a toothpick works great too.After all four panels are together then score each side (both ends) as shown, using your favorite scoring tool.Once all of the pieces are scored, assemble the luminary.The ends that were scored are going to be put together using all of the pieces.I used a tape runner and then also a 2-way glue pen to get into all of the tiny areas and carefully put the ends together as shown.If you like, you can create three dimensional flowers to go in the center of each. I used the two different colors of cardstock and inks to stencil the die cuts and added a rhinestone in the center for a little bling.And here is the finished luminary.Supplies-Spellbinders- Wizard and Classic Frame S5-012 die template

Here are the other projects I made using the Classic Frame die template to give you a few more ideas of the wonderful things you can create using this die template.I know it’s hard to tell from the picture but these two little frames are actually magnets for the refrigerator. They hold pictures of my boys.To do the smaller frame I did a technique called Reverse Stenciling.I really like doing this technique because it is very easy and all you need is a little ink.Below is a picture to show you how the reverse stenciling is done.When doing the reverse stenciling it is better to use a pigment or chalk ink, something that isn’t fast drying.

I really love the different look you can get with the reversed stenciling!

Next, I created a LO with my mom’s graduation picture.I think the Classic Frame die template goes so beautifully with her picture.Using only the die cut pieces from the Classic Frame die template I created all of the pieces for the LO.I absolutely love the large frame; you can use it in so many different ways.All of the gold die cuts were reverse stenciled with a gold pigment ink and then embossed with gold embossing powder.The ink stays wet long enough to do the embossing and this is just another way to get a different style.

Here is a close up picture showing how the top border was created.Here are two pictures for the bottom border.

For my last project, I created a very simple card using two of the large frame die cuts and the rectangular center from the smaller frame.I used a metallic cardstock from WorldWin for all of the die cuts and then I lightly sanded the embossed areas revealing the solid black underneath.Turning the frames in different directions creates a very pretty medallion with an open center for a sentiment.I added some ribbon and stamped a sentiment from Crafty Secrets on the small rectangle and added a few rhinestones.

I really love working with all of the Spellbinders products and I know some of you might be thinking, “I don’t have a Wizard, but I really want to be able to use the Spellbinders die templates.”I have wonderful news for you, the Spellbinders die templates are universal and can be used in many other die cutting machines!If you would like see some wonderful videos about using the Spellbinders die templates in other machines, please click on the link below.You will be able to see how easy it is to get professional looking projects using Spellbinders products. http://www.spellbinderspaperarts.com/videos.

Now, for all the details on the BIG CONTEST!

Spellbinders 5 Year Anniversary Celebration

Sneak Peek Party Drawing Information

Spellbinders will randomly pick one entry from each of the 16 Spellbinders Sneak Peek Blog reveals as stated in the “Rules”. This name will be drawn to receive the die being revealed and any other dies listed as a part of said blog give-away.These entries must follow all rules stated below to be valid for the drawing.

Entrants visiting all 16 Spellbinders 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Sneak Peeks Blog reveals and correctly entering their information into the 16 separate drawings, as described below, will automatically be entered into a GRAND PRIZE give away of a full set of all 28 NEW RELEASE dies debuting at the Winter Craft and Hobby Association Show in Anaheim, California, on January 25-28, 2009!

Rules

Any participant wishing to be included in the daily drawing for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek die give away must adhere to all of the following rules:

1.Participant must click on the provided link on Reveal blog to enter each individual drawing on sneak peeks between January 5 and January 20, 2009.

2. Participant must type in the subject line the name of the die being revealed.

3.Participant must send their entry for this blog before 12:00 midnight Central Standard Time on January 10, 2009.

4.Participant is only allowed to enter each of the 16 Spellbinders sneak peek blog give away drawings one time per sneak peek. Participant must use the same email address daily to be considered for grand prize entry, no exceptions. Please consider whether you will have access to the same e-mail address from January 5th through the 20th and plan accordingly.

5.Spellbinders Design Team members and employees are not eligible for drawings.

Any participant wishing to be automatically entered into the drawing for the Spellbinders 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Sneak Peek Grand Prize drawing, must enter the drawing from all of the 16 blog reveals and follow all the above rules.

Please note:

*Spellbinders will only use email information to contact the winner.

*Spellbinders will not share this email address with any other parties.

*Spellbinders will not use this email information for advertisements or communications

other than to contact the winner.

*If you wish to be included in further communications from Spellbinders, please go to their homepage SpellbindersPaperArts.com and sign up SpellbindersPaperArts.com for their newsletter.

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to ContestQuestions@spellbinders.us

Thank you so much for stopping by today!I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek of the Classic Frame die template and the projects I shared with you. I would love to hear your comments!Don’t forget to send your email for the contest and Good Luck!!

LinkWithin

Welcome to my blog!

Stamping Top 50

About Me

Hello blogging friends! I live in MN with my husband Eric and our two boys. I love paper crafting, jewelry making and mixed media and love to share what I do. Here you will find great tutorials, product reviews, blog hops and overall crafty goodness!! If you would like to learn more about me and where my design work can be found click on My Creative Resume listed below. Thanks for visiting my blog! Hugs & Smiles!

Some companies provide monetary compensation and some provide products. While I am compensated by these companies in some form, I maintain the freedom as an independent designer to say what I truly think of their products. I will never recommend something that I don't personally use and enjoy." If you have any questions about the products I use and/or my affiliation with these companies, please feel free to email me @ Floralfantasty@charter.net